The invention relates to a new and distinct variety of southern highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) hybrid plant named ‘Farthing.’ ‘Farthing’ is intended for production of fresh-market blueberries in early spring from areas with mild winters and early spring warmth. ‘Farthing’ is a southern highblush blueberry clone distinguished by its low chilling requirement, its vigorous, disease-resistant bush and by its very firm sweet berries that ripen from late April through mid-May when grown in north Florida. Several thousand plants of ‘Farthing’ have been propagated by softwood cuttings at Gainesville, Fla. and the resulting plants have all been phenotypically indistinguishable from the original plant.
‘Farthing’ originated as a seedling from the cross of the proprietary female parent, ‘FL 96-27’ (unpatented) with the male parent, ‘Windsor’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 12,783) and was made as part of the University of Florida breeding program in a greenhouse at Gainesville, Fla. in February, 1996. The seedling was first fruited in a high-density field nursery in the spring of 1998. After the third year of fruiting in the field, in the spring of 2000, ‘Farthing’ was propagated by softwood cuttings in June, 2000, and a 20-plant test plot was established as part of a variety test in a commercial field at Windsor, Fla. in January, 2001. Based on the growth and yield of this plot, ‘Farthing’ was re-propagated by softwood cuttings in June 2002, and test plots were planted the following winter on blueberry farms in north Florida at Archer (500 plants), Waldo (500 plants), and Windsor (100 plants). These plots were observed carefully from flowering through fruit ripening each year, and no mutations or off-type plants have been observed. The present invention has been found to retain its distinctive characteristics through successive asexual propagations.